The color of your urine can reveal a lot about your health. A researcher has raised concerns that modern medicine may have overlooked this time-tested diagnostic tool.
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| Medieval doctors inspecting urine under light. (Photo: ABConline) |
Dr. Carole Foot from Prince Charles Hospital in Queensland, Australia, states that traditional urine testing can help doctors monitor patient medication, indicate illnesses, and, in some cases, avoid expensive and painful tests.
The ancient Greeks were the first to diagnose the rare blood disorder porphyria by observing urine color and even named the disease after a Greek word meaning purple. By the Middle Ages, as urine analysis became common, specimens were often examined in a glass vessel held up to the light.
Foot noted that urine analysis can still be beneficial today. She came up with this idea after visiting a patient room and noticing that some patients had discolored urine.
According to Foot, urine can provide information about whether a patient is taking certain medications or experiencing an overdose. For instance, propofol, a commonly used anesthetic in intensive care units, will turn urine pink if used at the correct dose, and green if the patient has overdosed.
“This indicates that the dosage of propofol needs to be reduced,” she said.
Additionally, the antibiotic rifampicin—used as an adjunct to other antibiotics and sometimes to treat tuberculosis—will change the color of urine and other secretions to a tear-like (orange) color when absorbed correctly.
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| Diagnosing diseases through urine color |
“If you take a urine sample and it is orange, you know the patient has taken medication,” Foot stated.
Meanwhile, urine that is tea-colored or dark brown may indicate an infection in patients who have undergone heart or valve surgery, as it signifies the breakdown of red blood cells.
Urine turning black upon exposure to air could signal alkaptonuria—a rare enzyme disorder that causes abnormalities in skin and cartilage. Moreover, gout can produce pink urine.
Clearly, there are many other diagnostic options available today. However, “it is interesting that many disease diagnoses are still based on the experiences of those in the Middle Ages,” Foot remarked.
Furthermore, this diagnosis could help eliminate serious complications. For instance, red urine can quickly lead doctors to conclude that something is wrong. This is because red indicates bleeding, and blood in urine generally signifies an abnormality.
However, a simple question can clarify the issue: is the red urine due to the patient menstruating? Consuming large amounts of beets, raspberries, and rhubarb can also turn urine red, while blue-green urine could indicate excessive intake of antiseptics.
In healthy individuals, urine ranges from almost colorless to light yellow, thanks to the pigment urochrome. When urochrome is concentrated too much, urine may appear dark yellow or brown, indicating that it’s time for the patient to drink more water.
Nonetheless, urine diagnosis is not always accurate, Foot cautioned, as urine pH levels and genetic factors can influence how various substances affect its color.
Thuan An
